


Knights

by KiaCoral



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Violence, but that might just be me, i don't think it's very graphic violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 09:31:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2186595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiaCoral/pseuds/KiaCoral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shot that will probably be expanded upon.</p><p>“Makoto!”</p><p>Haru watched in horror as the tall brunet’s attention turned over his shoulder, bright emerald eyes widening just as a bloodied knight wearing the enemies colors brought a jagged two-handed sword down with a roar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knights

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again.
> 
> this started out as a general idea from my love of fantasy stuff, and the idea of Makoto being an archer was just TOO good to pass up on, cause, well BACK MUSCLES, so, yeah. :3
> 
> either way, it's a little incomplete, cause i planned on writing more on this idea, but for now i don't know WHAT i want to write, so it's going to be a 'one-shot' for now. Also, if you read my other story, "Death's Eyes are Green" you'll probably note i reused the names for the chars' Kingdoms, cause i like those names, and coming up with a new set is just too much of a hassle. but either way, this story and DEaG are NOT related, despite similarities. ^^U

It was a chaos filled with shouts, screams, roars and most of all, the harsh clash of metal striking metal. Prince Haruka of the Ea Kingdom swept his rapier up and around a sword aimed at his heart, knocking the much larger blade aside with an elegant twist and ending his opponent’s life in the process. The enemy’s smoke-darkened armor caused the splash of blood to stand out as Haruka withdrew his blade with nary a twitch before he moved on.

Haruka’s pitch black hair stuck uncomfortably to his forehead due to a mixture of sweat, dirt and blood, but the blue eyed Prince could only be absently grateful, as it kept his bangs from blocking his vision. A flash of black at the corner of his eye caused him to skip backwards and out of the path of large ragged sword that bit into the muddy ground with extreme force. Haru brought his rapier up in a flash of silver, eyes narrowed as he immediately pinpointed the gaps in between the large pieces of plate armor. The enemy knight had barely managed to pull his weapon from the blood soaked ground with a wet _shuck_ , when Haruka’s rapier shot under his armpit and into his heart.

The Prince turned away as the knight fell with a muffled crash of armor, his chest heaving under his own lightweight armor. Haru took a moment to breath in the unnatural state of calm that surrounded him, even as his eyes listlessly watched his soldiers in white and blue kill and die in turn against their enemies dressed in black with just the barest hints of dark red.

Haruka felt _old_.

He felt tired, and a soul-deep weariness that seemed to exude from his very bones dragged his limbs down more effectively than iron chains. Haruka had only been 16 for a few weeks now, and already, the amount of men he had killed was several times his age. If his war-ridden life wasn’t ended preemptively by a sword through the chest or some other method, Haruka was sure he’d end it himself when all was said and done.

He was just so _tired_.

“ _HARU!_ ”

Several things happened at once.

Haruka flinched, ocean blue eyes widening as he was brought back to the present with an unpleasant jolt, his battle-sharpened senses alerting him to the presence of an enemy _right behind him_.

The words “ _Die demon!_ ” were shouted with a righteous sort of desperation though the Prince barely heard them as he started to turn. Haruka could only stare as he was suddenly sprayed with blood and other matter as the knight’s helm-covered head seemed to explode towards him. Haruka dazedly watched as the corpse fell before him, ragged sword falling harmlessly to the side. The sight of two green feathered shafts protruding from the knight’s helm indicated the cause of death easily enough. It took the Prince a few seconds for his mind to catch up with his eyes before his gaze immediately snapped upwards, searching.

Even while hidden away amidst the many other bodies on the battlefield, Haruka’s eyes zeroed in on the tall figure sliding out of the reach of his enemies while shooting arrows into hands or between pieces of armor--always aiming to maim, but never to kill, so _why_? Their eyes met briefly; oceanic blue and spring green, before Haru saw something behind the brunet.

“ _Makoto!_ ”

Haru watched in horror as the tall brunet’s attention turned over his shoulder, bright emerald eyes widening just as a bloodied knight wearing the enemies colors brought a jagged two-handed sword down with a roar. The dark metal cut through leather and mail with sickening ease, sending an arc of blood into the air as the sword pulled away. The dark haired Prince was moving before his mind could process the sight of his best friend falling to the muddied ground in a heap, the black bow clattering alongside its owner in pieces. Haruka didn’t even notice how there was at least several meters and a mass of fighting bodies between him and his best friend, his entire focus on reaching the downed archer.

Ocean blue eyes hardly blinked despite the trickle of blood and sweat falling into them, his sword arm flashing out like lightning to strike between pieces of armor and pierce the soft flesh of his enemies with lethal accuracy. Haruka didn’t notice the ice crackling along his fingers, the shimmer of diamond dust scattering around him as he moved like the liquid element his Kingdom represented. He was over halfway across the battlefield when he saw the enemy knight--standing over Makoto’s prone form like some deity of death--raise his sword once more, the enemy’s intention obvious.

Time slowed for the Prince of Ea, the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears while  the sense of absolute dread and horror filled his chest like ice. The sword hovered inches above Makoto’s chest in preparation for the downward thrust that would be the killing blow.

_He wouldn’t make it._

“ _NO!_ ”

The word burst out of him as he instinctively flung out his hand, time returning with a jolt that left Haruka reeling. With an unnatural lack of grace the dark haired Prince stumbled to his knees, a disorienting sense of fatigue swamping him, but not deterring his focus from his friend.

His still  _alive_ friend. Even with his vision blurring around the edges and his heart threatening to not only choke him but rend him deaf as well, Haru stared in grateful shock as the enemy knight fell backwards, several shards of glistening ice the size of bastard swords protruding from his torso. The enemy sword fell harmlessly to the side.

“Haruka!”

Haruka’s awareness snapped back as he was bodily lifted up by his arms, his sword twitching instinctively to strike out before his mind was able to recognize the burgundy hair and ruby eyes of his friend. The Sohrab Prince was looking at him in obvious concern, and Haru dazedly noted the long cut across the Prince’s face before he blacked out.

_Makoto…_

 

**Author's Note:**

> yeeeeep, that's it. thanks for reading! sorry about the cliff-hangerish ending, but, well, I don't know what to do next, so if you have ideas, toss'em my way, and i'll see if any of them get my brain juices flowing.


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